Method and mold for manufacturing cylinder head system for vehicle

ABSTRACT

A method for manufacturing a cylinder head system for a vehicle includes manufacturing a first main mold to integrally form an exhaust manifold for discharging exhaust gas from a cylinder and a first water jacket for cooling the exhaust manifold, manufacturing a second main mold to form a second water jacket for cooling a cylinder block, and connecting the first main mold to the second main mold. The mold includes a first main mold having a plurality of exhaust manifold molds and a first water jacket mold, each exhaust manifold mold being configured to form a respective exhaust manifold, and the first water jacket mold being configured to form a first water jacket for cooling the exhaust manifolds, a second main mold having a second water jacket mold, the second water jacket mold being configured to form a second water jacket for cooling a cylinder block, and the second main mold being configured to be assembled with the first main mold. The first water jacket mold may be disposed between the exhaust manifold molds.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/943,474 filed Nov. 20, 2007, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0046847 filed May 15, 2007, the entire contents of which applications are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cylinder head system for a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and mold for manufacturing a cylinder head system for a vehicle that improves manufacturing efficiency and cooling performance.

2. Background Art

As is generally known, a cylinder head system is manufactured by injecting a casting in a mold. In the injection molding, an exhaust manifold core and a water jacket core are provided to form an exhaust manifold for discharging exhaust gas generated from an engine and a water jacket for cooling the engine.

In general, the exhaust manifold has a streamline shape for facilitating the flow of exhaust gas. A cylinder is positioned at the lower part of the exhaust manifold and a water jacket is positioned around the cylinder, that is, at the lower part of the exhaust manifold.

Accordingly, in order to produce the exhaust manifold and the water jacket in accordance with a conventional technique, a dead space may be created between runners of the exhaust manifold.

As the exhaust gas at high temperature passes through the runners of the exhaust manifold, the temperature of the exhaust manifold rises.

As the runner of the exhaust manifold has a streamline shape, there is an interference with a portion (hereinafter, referred to as a burr) of the water jacket core when the exhaust manifold core and the water jacket core is integrally assembled. Furthermore, since the burr should be removed during the assembly, the manufacturing process becomes time-consuming and labor-intensive.

The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above problems. In various aspects, the present invention provides for a method of manufacturing a cylinder head system for a vehicle that improves cooling performance and simplifies manufacturing process.

One aspect of the present invention provides for a method for manufacturing a cylinder head system for a vehicle including manufacturing a first main mold to integrally form an exhaust manifold for discharging exhaust gas from a cylinder and a first water jacket for cooling the exhaust manifold, manufacturing a second main mold to form a second water jacket for cooling a cylinder block, and assembling the first main mold to the second main mold.

In various embodiments, the first water jacket may be formed between the exhaust manifolds.

Suitably, the first and the second main molds may be implemented as a sand-mold core.

Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a mold for manufacturing a cylinder head system for a vehicle. The mold includes a first main mold having a plurality of exhaust manifold molds and a first water jacket mold, each exhaust manifold mold being configured to form a respective exhaust manifold, and the first water jacket mold being configured to form a first water jacket for cooling the exhaust manifolds, a second main mold having a second water jacket mold, the second water jacket mold being configured to form a second water jacket for cooling a cylinder block, and the second main mold being configured to be assembled with the first main mold. The first water jacket mold may be disposed between the exhaust manifold molds.

In various embodiments, the first water jacket mold may be disposed between the exhaust manifold.

In various embodiments, each manifold mold may include a sand-mold core.

The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description of the Invention, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first main mold in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a second main mold in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the second main mold in accordance with various aspects of the present invention is connected to a cylinder block.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the first main mold in accordance with various aspects of the present invention is connected to the second main mold and the cylinder block.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that present description is not intended to limit the invention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

As shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, a method for manufacturing a cylinder head system for a vehicle in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention includes manufacturing a first main mold 100 to integrally form an exhaust manifold 101 for discharging exhaust gas from a cylinder and a first water jacket 103 for cooling the exhaust manifold 101, manufacturing a second main mold 200 to form a second water jacket 201 for cooling a cylinder block 301, and connecting the first main mold to the second main mold.

Referring to FIG. 1, the exhaust manifold 101 and the first water jacket 103 are integrally formed with each other and supported by a core print 105.

Generally, a core is arranged in a casting to form a hollow portion and, in various embodiments of the present invention, a mold for forming the exhaust manifold 101 and the first water jacket 103 correspond to the core.

The core print 105 is to support the core from the inside of the mold in an otherwise conventional manner.

The second water jacket 201 is formed by the second main mold 200 to cool the cylinder block 301.

The first water jacket 103, the second water jacket 201 and the exhaust manifold 101 illustrated in this specification and shown in the drawings do not represent actual components, but indicate the molds, i.e., the core configuration.

In other words, although the first water jacket 103, the second water jacket 201 and the exhaust manifold 101 illustrated in this specification and shown in the drawings represent the molds for manufacturing the same, the names thereof correspond to those components manufactured by the molds.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the method for manufacturing a cylinder head system in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention may further include connecting the first main mold 100 to the second main mold 200.

More particularly, FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which only the second main mold 200 is connected to the cylinder block 301, i.e., the mold for forming the cylinder block 301, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the first main mold 100 is connected to the second main mold 200 and the cylinder block 301 of FIG. 3.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, since the first water jacket 103 is formed between the exhaust manifolds 101, the first main mold 100 can be connected to the second main mold 200 more easily.

That is, in the process where the first main mold 100 is connected to the second main mold 200, no specific process is required but rather the first main mold 100 can be connected to the second main mold 200 simply by fixing the first main mold 100 in the second main mold 200.

Accordingly, the present invention simplifies the manufacturing process.

In addition, since the first water jacket 103 is disposed between the exhaust manifolds 101, through which the exhaust gas at high temperature passes, it is possible to improve the cooling performance.

The first and the second main molds 100 and 200 may be implemented as a sand-mold core; however, the present invention is not limited thereto.

As described above, according to various embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to simplify the manufacturing process and improve the cooling performance.

For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms “lower”, “inside”, and etc. are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures.

The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents. 

1. A mold for manufacturing a cylinder head system for a vehicle, the mold comprising: a first main mold including a plurality of exhaust manifold molds and a first water jacket mold, each exhaust manifold mold being configured to form a respective exhaust manifold, and the first water jacket mold being configured to form a first water jacket for cooling the exhaust manifolds; and a second main mold including a second water jacket mold, the second water jacket mold being configured to form a second water jacket for cooling a cylinder block, and the second main mold being configured to be assembled with the first main mold; wherein the first water jacket mold is disposed between the exhaust manifold molds.
 2. The mold of claim 1, wherein the first water jacket mold is disposed between the exhaust manifold.
 3. The mold of claim 1, wherein the manifold molds each comprise a sand-mold core. 